Folding footrest



Sept. 21, 1937.

J. M. KNIGHT 2,093,455

FOLDING FOOTREST Filed April 27, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l I I i #wnv raR u okn N. Knz'yizz M LLJEULL flrroRNgy p 21, 1937. J. M. KNIGHT 2,093,455

FOLDING FOOTREST Filed April 2'7, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 475/2 .7 Krzz'yh:

' flTOR/VEY Sept. 21, 1937. J. M. KNIGHT 2,093,455

' FOLDING FOOTREST Filed April 27, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 21 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING FOOTREST Application April 27, 1935, Serial No. 18,645

5 Claims.

This invention relates to folding foot rests in general and in particular to foot rests intended for use on car seats which revolve as a unit on a pedestal or base frame.

In previous railway seat construction foot rests have been provided which were either rigid with the base frame or where the seat was to be bodily revolved the foot rests have likewise been rigid but carried by the seat frame in such a position as to clear the base frame. Neither of these constructions are desirable since it is almost impossible to make the foot rest comfortable or attractive and they are extremely troublesome to those people who desire to completely relax and rest by reclining the seat back and stretching out their legs.

It is an object of this invention to provide a single foot rest which is attached to the seat frame and foldable to an out of the way position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a foot rest attached to the seat frame and foldable to a position permitting rotation of the entire seat frame assembly relative to the base.

Another object of this invention is to provide a folding foot rest with a spring device which will lessen the shock when lowering the rest.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a folding foot rest having a spring shock absorbing device in which the tension of the spring may be readily varied.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a folding foot rest which will be retained automatically in either its operative or inoperative position.

These and other objects will be apparent to one skilled in the art from a study of the accom-- panying description taken in conjunction with the drawings in Which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the invention applied to one seat and its relation to the adjacent seat;

Fig. 2 is. a rear elevation of a seat showing the device applied thereto and in raised and lowered positions;

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view showing the means for retaining the rest in either raised or lowered positions;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3 and showing one hinge bracket;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on line 44 of Fig. 3 showing the other hinge bracket;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of a modified form of the device;

Fig. '7 is a partial sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of Fig. '7 and showing details of the modified device.

Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views, the device is shown as attached to the seat frame F by means of brackets A and B. lhe seat is of the type shown and fully described in applications of Victor Willoughby, Serial No. 13,588 filed March 29, 1935, and Clifford Bittner, Serial No. 12,559, filed March 23, 1935, and it will sufiice for the present description to state that the seat is provided with an adjustable angle back and with a rotating mechanism which permits rotation of the entire seat frame assembly in a longitudinal plane while causing lateral oscillation thereof.

Bracket A attached by screws 2 to the seat frame is provided with a laterally projecting hollow trunnion 4 on which is rotatably mounted the side piece 6, and with a portion 8 forming a stop ID for the lug H on the side piece. The bracket B, which may be integral with the seat frame, is provided with an opening [2 adapted to form a bearing for trunnion I4 and a portion I6 having a shouldered stop portion similar to that on bracket A. The side piece 6 is provided with a spring catch N3, the rounded tip' of which'is yieldably held by spring 20 in suitably formed pockets in the trunnion 4. Side piece 22 of somewhat similar outline has the head portion of trunnion member I4 non-rotatably fastened thereto by pin 24 and this trunnion head portion rigidly supports one end of torsion spring 26 which in the instance shown is formed of a fiat strip of spring steel or other material. The other end of the torsion spring is fastened by a short pin 28 to the trunnion 4. The spring 26 is enclosed within a tube 30 and one end of said tube is carried in. the bore of the side piece 22, while the other end is carried in the hollow trunnion 4 and abuts a shoulder 32 provided therein. The tube thus acts as a protector orfcover for the torsion spring as well as a means to retain the side piece 22 in itsoperative position.

Side pieces 6 and 22 are each provided with projections 34 adjacent the lower edge thereof adapted to engage foot rest pad 36 when the foot rest is in the folded position relative to the side pieces as shown in dot and dash position Fig. 3. The foot rest pad is eccentrically mounted on suitable pintles 38 carried at one end of the side pieces and is provided. on the ends thereof with lugs 4|! each adapted to engage a flange of the side pieces to support the pad in the operative position. The lugs 40, or the flanges of the side pieces, or both, may be provided with rubber or other buffer means to lessen the shock when the foot rest pad is lowered.

The operation of the device will now be explained, assuming the device to be in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 3 and it is desired to fold the assembly toan out of the way position. A slight upward pressure applied to the extremity of 36 by the toe of a persons foot will rotate the foot rest pad until it will drop being applied in an upward direction to the then lower portion of the footrest will cause the spring catch to release and the entire unit aided-by the torsion spring to berot'ated to the posi tion shown in dot and dash outline of Fig 3, and in full line at the right of Fig. 2. The assembly is held in this position not only by the spring catchagain engaginga pocket but by the torsion spring which'mayhave a slight initial strain thereinQ'Tn lowering the device, the action is reversed with the torsion spring resisting the lowering and lessening the shock, when stops ll engage the shoulders 10.

Referring now. to the'modification of the device shown'in Figs. 6-8 inclusive it is seen that the bracket M, which may be a casting forming part of the seat frame to which it is fastened by bolts, rivets or screws 50 is provided with a suitablybraced trunnion 52 and a tsop 54. The bracket is shown as a single cast member. suitably attached to the central portion of the seat frame and provided with two outstanding lugs 56 having abore 58 to receive trunnion pin 60. This central bracket is also provided with suitable stops similar to the stop 54 carried by bracket M.

' Theside piece R is provided with hub portion 62 adapted to pivot on trunnion 52 and this hub portion is extended to provide a portion 64 in which'tube 66 is positioned and secured by screw 68. The trunnion 52 is provided with two holes and 12 adapted to be engaged by catch 14 carried by the side'piece. The catch is provided with a projection 16 by which it maybe manually retracted from the trunnion holes in which it is normally held by compression spring 18. f The side piece S is provided with a portion 80 within which is non-rotatably fastened the trunnion pin 66. The portion 80 likewise carries one end of the tube 66. which is secured in place by the pin or rivet 82. The inner end of the 'pin 60 is slotted as at 84 to non-rotatably engage the'torsion spring 86, the other end of which is carried in a similar slot 88 provided in bolt 90. The bolt 90 has threaded engagement with the'trunnion 52 and is provided witha head 92 which may be slotted or otherwise finished to allow of turning the bolt. 'Lock'nut 94 and lock washer6 are provided inorder thatthebolt may be securely held in any desired position. It is thus seen thatthe torsion of the spring may be readily adjusted by simply turning the bolt 90. The operation-of this modification is similar to that previously described in connection with Figs. 1-5 inclusive with the exceptionthat the catch must be retracted manually and the foot rest must 'be manually raised before the seat can be turned. t

Although two embodiments of the device have been'shown and described it is obvious thatvarious other combinations or modifications thereof will be apparent to one skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding foot rest assembly comprising, spaced brackets, side pieces pivotally associated with said brackets, a tube extending between the side pieces, a torsion springwithin the tube having one end in secured relation with one of said brackets and the other end in secured relation with one of said side pieces, catch means automatically retaining one of the side pieces in either raised or lowered position, a foot rest pad ing from saidside pieces adapted to contact the long portion of thefoot rest pad, means projecting from the short portion of the foot rest pad adapted to contact a portion of the side pieces, said means limiting relative rotation between said foot rest pad and side pieces. 2. A folding foot rest assembly comprising, spaced brackets, side pieces pivotally associated with said brackets, a tube extending betweenone end of the side pieces, a spring within the tube having one end in secured relation with one of said brackets and the other end in secured relation with one of said side pieces, means retaining the sidepieces in either a raised or lowered position, a foot rest eccentrically pivoted to the side pieces to provide a long and short portion, means projecting from said side pieces adapted to contact the long portion of the foot rest pad, means projecting from the short portion of the foot rest pad adapted tocontact a portion of the side pieces, said means limiting relative rotation between said foot rest pad and side pieces.

3. A folding foot rest assembly comprising spaced brackets having stop shoulders formed thereon, elongated side pieces pivotally supported by the brackets and having lug portions formed to engage the shoulder portions of the brackets to limit the movement of the side pieces in one direction, a spring catch means carried by a side piece and cooperating with the adjacent bracket to retain the side pieces in a predetermined position, upper and lower elongated spacing means for the side pieces, one of said spacing means comprising a foot rest pad eccentrio ally pivotally supported by the side pieces at one end thereof and the other spacing means comprising a housing member supported by the side pieces, and spring means within the housing member and connected to a bracket and to a side piece and tensioned to raise the assembly.

4. A folding foot rest assembly comprising spaced brackets, side pieces pivotally associated with said brackets, a tubular member extending between one end of the side pieces, said tubular member connecting the side pieces for maintaining the same in pivotal association with the spaced ,brackets, a spring within the tubular member having one end insecured relation with one of said brackets and the other end in secured relation-with one of said side pieces, means retaining the side pieces in either a raised or lowered position, a foot rest eccentrically pivotedto the, side pieces'to provide a long and short portion, means projecting from said side pieces. adapted .to .contact the long portion of the foot rest padfm'eans' projecting from the short portion of they foot rest pad adapted to contact a portion'of the side pieces, said means limiting 7'5 relative rotation between said foot rest pad and side pieces.

5. A folding foot rest assembly comprising, spaced brackets having stop shoulders formed thereon, side pieces pivotally associated with said brackets and having stop lugs formed thereon adapted to contact said stop shoulders, a tube extending between one end of the side pieces, a spring within the tube having one end in secured 10 relation with one of said brackets and the other end in secured relation with one of said side pieces, means retaining the side pieces in either a raised or lowered position, a foot rest eccentrically pivoted to the side pieces to provide a long and short portion, means projecting from said side pieces adapted to contact the long portion of the foot rest pad, means projecting from the short portion of the foot rest pad adapted to contact a portion of the side pieces, said means limiting relative rotation between said foot rest pad and side pieces, and said stop shoulders and lugs limiting relative rotation between said side 10 pieces and brackets.

JOHN M. KNIGHT. 

